ANTHONY DAVIS, LEBRON AND LAKERS HEADING TO THE PLAYOFFS
After a thrilling play-in, we get ready for the playoffs, starting this weekend
Written by Illythehost
The 77th NBA regular season closed its chapter on Sunday after 82 games played between October 2022 and April 2023, but the LA Lakers were still in the dark and uncertain about their playoffs spot.
All the focus was on the Western Conference games, and you’d best believe the teams delivered more than what basketball fanatics were expecting! Golden State Warriors made a huge statement and showed off their greatness by demolishing Portland Trail Blazers 157-101, with 55 points scored in the first quarter of the match; an NBA record.
The LA Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves play-in tournament game on Wednesday ended in a 108-102 win for the Lakers, with Anthony Davis managing 24 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks to help his team to victory. What seemed to be an impossible task at the crypto.com arena for the LA franchise finally became a thing of the past after their hard-fought overtime win. Lebron James showed why he is so important to the team, and Dennis and Reaves played a major part – teamwork, in this case, really did make the dream work.
There was drama courtside on Sunday when the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert threw punches at his teammate Kyle Anderson; something which subsequently saw him sent home by senior management and suspended from the team. Despite this, the Timberwolves were a difficult team to beat, leading the Lakers by 17 points at one stage. After the thrilling game, the Lakers move forward into the playoffs, where they will face the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Denver Nuggets occupied the number one spot in the Western Conference with 53 wins. The Grizzlies settled for the second seed, with the Sacramento Kings surprisingly owning third position, meaning they’ll play the defending champions Golden State Warriors come the playoffs. The fourth and fifth teams are the Phoenix Suns and the LA Clippers.
The 2023 playoffs start this Saturday and will certainly come with surprises. Follow HYPE magazine for more NBA updates.